Wise Woman Elder

I had planned to write this in time for the Festival of the Trees but never quite made it! However, plenty of others did, so why not pop over to Vanessa's Trees & Shrubs blog to see some wonderful tree stories, information & photo's. The May festival will be hosted by Jasmine at Nature's Whispers.

I love this old Elder tree & she looked spectacular during the winter's snow...

 9th January, 2010


wise woman elder tosses hair so white
 frosted limbs give off a glow 
that spreads from a heart filled with light

I've sat with this elder for over a year now, and always experience a deep sense of wisdom & peace. Sometimes we just share each others company in comfortable, serene silence, even if I arrive feeling scattered or unsure. I never leave without a glimpse of something... a connection of some sort...

Looking up is like seeing a pathway... a stairway connecting Earth & Heaven... a gateway... Sitting in her arms all is one... the sense of connection to all that has ever been & all that is yet to come floods my being. The phrases 'as above so below' and 'on earth as it is in heaven' come to mind...

16th jan

she casts off her mantle of crone-hood

and readies herself for re-growth

whispers of spring pulse in her blood

calling her sap to flow

 21st feb

I'm always captivated by the first signs of spring growth...

 7th march

and am constantly fascinated by the progress of each little shoot....

 21st march


each tender shoot bears a message of hope
into each she breathes her love
and whispers the words that mothers know
passed down from ancient times

30th march

The first glimpse of tiny budlets is always a joy to see and I marvel at the contrast between the freshness of new growth and the wrinkled, twisted bark on the older branches & trunk...

I love these textures... some of the bark is almost white, and the lichens so bright in contrast... yet more inspiration for a canvas or piece of calligraphy. What does she inspire you to create? Please do share if the muse strikes!

Trees talk... if you're prepared to listen.... to sit in silence.... and hear. Not just the sound of of leaves or branches in the breeze... but a voice from deep within... carried up from Gaia, the Earth or perhaps caught from the air.... depending on what they want to tell or what it is you seek...

This tree has an ancient voice, yet is ageless... she embodies all ages, all times... gnarled old limbs & slender shoots of youth grow together... intertwined in the dance of life... the old giving life to the new which in turn give life to the old in a continual cycle of birth and re-birth....

1st april

wise woman elder i bow to your wisdom

i hear your voice of knowing

i pay tribute to your elder years

and caress your wrinkled skin

that the passage of time has wrought

i thank you for your grace and insight

the oneness that we share

spirit of the elder

i thank you